'Online abuse used to affect me. Now I just don't let it... I surround myself with really good people instead'

SUE SMITH has never been one to shy away from a challenge.

- By RYAN PATON

The 46-year-old from Rainhill is a pioneer in the women’s game who enjoyed a glittering career on the pitch before forging a successful career as a pundit since she retired.

The Evertonian is still pushing herself to take on new challenges and has signed up to CAFOD's annual Big Lent Walk, which sees people walk 200km over 40 days to raise lifesaving water around the world.

However, Sue has never been one to do things the easy way and she has gone one step further and decided to run, rather than walk, the challenge.

The challenge works out at 5km a day and Sue managed to complete it when she tried it for the first time last year, but admitted it was harder than she initially thought.

She told the ECHO: “I keep myself fit after retiring from playing, so I thought, ‘I need to run it’

“I can’t walk it because that would be too easy. I worked it out, you could do 5km a day and you have a day off on Sunday.

“But I was missing days because of work and being busy, so I was having to do like 15km to try and make up the amount.

“I was having to double up or get up early to do them So it has been actually harder than 1 initially thought it was.”

Sue said her mum, Ann, who is in her 80s, also took on the challenge as a walk and managed to beat her to the target.

She said: “She’s got a dog and she walks 5k a day anyway. She smashed it and did it way before me. She done it with days to spare and I’m still trying to scramble around to get my run in.”

Sue and Ann have been active members in raising money for CAFOD for many years, and the former Lioness said the support they have received is emblematic of the Merseyside spirit of unity. She said: “As a community everybody gets together and gets behind it.